9 Bookmarks You Can Make in 5 Minutes or Less

What do you use as a bookmark? Tell us in the comments!

It’s truth time: We lose bookmarks. A lot. Somewhere along our TBR pile we realize that cute bookmark we just bought is nowhere to be found and we’re back to marking our place by (gasp) dog-earing the pages, folding the dust jacket over the page, or using whatever’s handy (I have a penchant for receipts or old tickets).

Hey, we read a lot. No time to waste looking under couch cushions for that $10 bookmark that lights up and is shaped like a unicorn.

This list of bookmarks is designed to give you the tools to quickly and effectively make your own bookmarks. They take practically no time to make and you can personalize them however you want. Let’s get crafty:

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1. Popsicle sticks, markers, some googly eyes, and you have the most whimsical bookmark for miles around.

2. Doodle on the paint samples from the last time you painted your living room, punch a hole, add some ribbon and you’re in business.

3. Grab a set of old photos that aren’t frame or album worthy and turn them into fun-filled bookmarks that remind you of your loved ones whenever you sit down to read.

4. Print out these animal cutouts (we’re partial to the elephant) and then use the outline as a stencil to cut the same shape out of patterned card stock.

5. Everyone loves a good mustache. This tutorial is sooo easy you could make a whole bevvy of mustaches at once. We mustache you, what is more exciting than that? (Har har)

6. Paperclip, ribbon, done.

8. These ‘lil monster bookmarks are easy to make and very customizable. We think these little monsters are perfect for sci-fi readers, but you can really make them your own. Here’s a heart version for those of us who are a bit more girly.

ALANA BUCKBEE is a Boston native living in New York City. By day, she’s Senior Manager of Community Development at Penguin Random House. By night, she’s reading all the books she can get her hands on, while taking breaks to stalk corgis in Central Park. Find her on Twitter @alanabuckbee.